How to Take Your Goals Seriously (So They Light You On Fire)

It’s one thing to have great goals that inspire you, and it’s another to have goals that light you on fire to the point where nothing will stop you. Only the on-fire goals will be achieved because inspiration can wane, motivation can be hard to come by, and unless you’re on fire about something, life will get in the way.

You probably have a really awesome goal that has been brewing in the back of your head, and you may be taking action on it. Even making major progress. But are you moving as fast as you can toward your goal? Do you feel stuck? Are you focused on the 20% of your actions that will yield 80% of your results? Are you achieving a good work/life balance?

If not, it’s mostly due to not being on fire. You may have a great action plan, but unless you’re on fire about your daily tasks and unless you’re giving them all you’ve got (instead of just going through the motions), your progress will be spotty.

Here’s how to turn a inspired goal into an on-fire goal:

1. Visualise. An idea that lives in your head isn’t a verbal idea, it’s a mental image. So every day, for at least 5 minutes, use visualisation to add character and richness to that mental image of your goal. Put yourself in the picture. Use your senses to add realism. For every detail that is missing, create one. For example, if your goal is to live in a villa on the Mediterranean, every time you “visit” your dream villa in your imagination, add a detail. Picture yourself and your family lounging on the veranda. Add the scent of bougainvillea and ocean breezes. Infuse the scene with sounds of music, laughter, etc… you get the idea. And don’t forget feelings – you have to be totally in love with your goal! The more you can visualise your ideal scene every single day, the more your mind will pick up on the fact that this is really, really important to you. That’s when you’ll start noticing even more opportunities and ways and means than you did before. That’s when things will start to fall together magnificently.

2. Write down your targets – the big picture, the intermediate milestones, the short-term goals and the daily stuff. Now go beyond the “business” of writing down your goals and write about how you will feel when you reach your milestones. Happy! Yeah! And even beyond that, how you will have evolved and grown. Write about it as if it’s a done deal and watch as your predictions come true!

3. Have fun. What’s the point of a great goal if you’re going to be miserable during the time you’re working on your goal? Nooooo! So many people do that – they slave away for their goals and in the meantime, they forget to live. The whole point is to have a blast while you’re in the process. It IS about the journey! Take the attitude of play and don’t take it so seriously. Don’t let it become “work” even if it is hard, or temporarily monotonous.

These very simple things will keep the fires of passion burning hot. They will motivate you to action even when you don’t feel like it – but you will feel like it, because it feels so great to work on your goals!